Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yomia’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Yomia’, characterized by its compact, upright and outwardly spreading plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; uniform and freely flowering habit; small decorative button-type inflorescences with elongated oblong-shaped ray florets; lavender-colored ray florets; and natural season flowering in mid-September in the Northern Hemisphere.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Yomia’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium, commercially known as a garden-type Chrysanthemum and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Yomia’.

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif. and Alva, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivars having inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms, attractive floret colors and good garden performance.

The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross-pollination made in 2001 in Salinas, Calif., of two unnamed proprietary selections of Chrysanthemum×morifolium, not patented. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination grown in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. in November, 2002. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence form, attractive floret coloration and good garden performance.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal vegetative cutting in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. since January, 2003, has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Yomia has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Yomia’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Yomia’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

-   -   1. Compact, upright and outwardly spreading plant habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plants.     -   3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.     -   4. Small decorative button-type inflorescences with elongated         oblong-shaped ray florets.     -   5. Lavender-colored ray florets.     -   6. Natural season flowering in mid-September in the Northern         Hemisphere.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the parent selections primarily in plant habit, ray floret coloration and flowering response time.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Barbara, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,607. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Barbara in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were smaller than, more         rounded than and not as upright as plants of the cultivar         Barbara.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had smaller inflorescences         than plants of the cultivar Barbara.     -   3. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum were lighter         lavender in color than ray florets of plants of the cultivar         Barbara.     -   4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about one week later         than plants of the cultivar Barbara when grown under natural         season conditions.     -   5. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were less sensitive to the         pathogen Fusarium than plants of the cultivar Barbara.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can also be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Moza Con 02, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,745. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Moza Con 02 in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were smaller than plants of         the cultivar Moza Con 02.     -   2. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum had better         color retention than ray florets of plants of the cultivar Moza         Con 02.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum. These photographs show the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Yomia’ grown in a container.

The photograph on the second sheet comprises a close-up view of typical inflorescences of the cultivar ‘Yomia’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Leamington, Ontario, Canada during the summer in a glass-covered greenhouse and under conditions and practices which approximate those generally used in commercial garden-type Chrysanthemum production. Rooted cuttings were planted in 15.25-cm containers, grown under artificial long day conditions (four-hour night interruption) and pinched about ten days later. About ten days after the pinch, plants were then exposed to artificial short day conditions (11.5 hours light) until flowering. During the production of the plants, temperatures ranged from 18° C. to 38° C. Measurements and numerical values represent averages for typical flowering plants.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Yomia. -   Commercial classification: Decorative button-type garden     Chrysanthemum. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Unnamed proprietary selection of             Chrysanthemum×morifolium, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Unnamed proprietary selection of             Chrysanthemum×morifolium, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About four days at 21° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About ten to twelve days             at 21° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant form/growth habit.—Perennial herbaceous decorative             button-type garden Chrysanthemum. Inverted triangle with             mounded crown. Stems initially upright, then outwardly             spreading; compact and rounded growth habit. Freely             branching with about eight primary branches with secondary             lateral branches potentially forming at every node.             Moderately vigorous.         -   Plant height.—About 10 cm.         -   Plant diameter.—About 24 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 11.2 cm. Diameter: About             4 mm. Internode length: About 1.3 cm. Aspect: Upright and             outwardly spreading. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 146A.         -   Foliage description.—Leaf arrangement: Alternate. Length:             About 4.7 cm. Width: About 3.9 cm. Apex: Cuspidate. Base:             Mostly truncate. Margin: Palmately lobed, sinuses parallel             to divergent. Texture, upper surface: Slightly pubescent.             Texture, lower surface: Pubescent; veins prominent. Color:             Developing and fully expanded foliage, upper surface: Darker             green than 147A. Developing and fully expanded foliage,             lower surface: Close to 147B. Venation, upper surface: Close             to 147A. Venation, lower surface: Close to 147B. Petiole             length: About 1.5 cm. Petiole diameter: About 3 mm. Petiole             color, upper surface: Close to 146A. Petiole color, lower             surface: Close to 146B to 146C. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Decorative button-type inflorescence form with             elongated oblong-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences borne on             terminals above foliage, arising from leaf axils. Ray             florets developing acropetally on a capitulum. About six             inflorescences per secondary lateral branch.         -   Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants             flower in early October in the Northern Hemisphere.         -   Inflorescence bud (before showing color).—Height: About             4 mm. Diameter: About 5 mm. Shape: Oblate. Color (lower             surface of phyllaries): Close to 146A to more green than             147A.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 2.4 cm. Depth (height):             About 9 mm. Disc diameter: About 4 mm. Receptacle diameter:             About 6 mm.         -   Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated oblong-shaped. Length: About             1.2 cm. Width: About 3 mm. Corolla tube length: About 3 mm.             Corolla tube diameter: About 1 mm. Apex: Emarginate or             acute. Margin: Fused. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:             Smooth, glabrous; satiny. Orientation: Initially upright,             then perpendicular to the peduncle and eventually reflexed.             Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 145 in             numerous whorls. Color: When opening and fully opened, upper             surface: Close to 155D overlain with close to 71A; color             becomes lighter lavender with development. When opening,             lower surface: Close to 155D underlain with close to 77A;             color becomes lighter lavender with development.         -   Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular, elongated. Length: About 3 mm.             Width, apex: About 1.5 mm. Width, base: About 1 mm. Number             of disc florets per inflorescence: About twelve. Color:             Immature: Close to 9A. Mature: Apex: Close to 9A.             Mid-section: Close to 154D. Base: Close to 155D.         -   Phyllaries.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 22. Length:             About 3.5 mm. Width: About 2 mm. Shape: Ligulate. Apex:             Acute. Base: Truncate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper             surface: Smooth, waxy. Texture, lower surface: Pubescent.             Color, upper surface: Close to 146A. Color, lower surface:             Close to 146A to more green than 147A.         -   Peduncle.—Length: First peduncle: About 1.3 cm. Fourth             peduncle: About 2.1 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Strength:             Strong. Aspect: About 45° from vertical. Texture: Pubescent.             Color: Close to 146A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets             only. Anther length: Less than 1 mm. Anther color: Close to             12A. Amount of pollen: None observed. Gynoecium: Present on             both ray and disc florets. Style length: About 4 mm. Style             color: Close to 154A. Stigma color: Close to 9A.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not     been shown to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to     Chrysanthemums. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have been     observed to be tolerant to rain, wind and temperatures ranging from     0° C. to more than 38° C. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yomia’, as illustrated and described. 